Ray's pizza is a hidden gem in UTC! It is frequented by the students nearby and for good reason. This place has affordable pizza, with a pretty big single slice. I got the medium supreme pizza to share with friends and it was pretty filling. It came with 14 slices and we had to wait about 15-20 minutes. When we pulled apart the slices the cheese was still gooey. It was definitely one of the best pizzas I've had. The toppings reminded me of the Costco combination pizza. Parking is very easy as it's in a big plaza with plenty of spaces. read more

Ray's Pizza - Supreme - Pizza Near Me - Irvine, California

I found this spot and decided why not try it . The pizza was good, I got the lunch special it was $10.26 for two slices of pizza and a drink. I wanted a slice of pizza and a salad but the cashier said " we don't have salad right now". One of the kitchen staff said "we can make one fresh, the cashier answered " no no it's fine no salad". I didn't like that, if I'm paying customer I should get what I want and it's advertised on the menu and lunch special signs. Overall the pizza was okay nothing special. The restaurant was pretty empty. read more

Ray's Pizza - Cheese pizza - Pizza Near Me - Irvine, California

Rays Pizza is my Partner's favorite pizza place. Aside from the nostalgia this local joint brings him, in the 4+ years we've been dating, I could not fathom why this is his favorite pizza place. I'm no NY style pizza expert, but I wouldn't consider this thin style pizza. Him being a picky, thin pizza eater, I couldn't figure it out. After having the pizza fresh today, I am officially on the Rays pizza bandwagon. The astounding crinkle of the crust with each bite was absolutely heaven to my ears. Out of town Pizza lovers, bookmark this location cause this local fave is totally worth the visit! Do be aware, indoor seating is limited, atmosphere is casual. They're located in a college campus, so foot traffic is high. Still a great choice for a quick delicious stop. read more

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Solid 4! Just simple thin and crispy pizza. Slices have a nice and light burn on bottom. Just a nice balanced slice and not a greasy slab of dough. Their sausage is awesome, almost like smashed pork chunks. Nice owner/manager, quick service, and excellent lunch specials. read more

Ray's is awesome! And we're born and bred NYC'ers who are super picky about pizza. Good prices too!

Great location close to UCI at University Center. Lunch combo special is awesome and a must to get. Quick service and Ray is super awesome and friendly, will definitely be back!! read more

It's nostalgia every time we come here because we used to frequent Ray's regularly when we were college students at UCI! Always glad to know this place is still here and thriving, and Ray is still as sweet and hardworking as ever. Beyond that - their pizza is delicious and their daily specials are a value! Can't go wrong with Ray's for solid pizza and excellent customer service. read more

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Been coming here since 4th grade, ITS THAT GOOD. Very clean. Pizza is the PERFECT NY slice. Foldable, perfect sauce and cheese flavors. Crust is so unique, sometimes reminiscent of Persian Sangak. Crispy outermost layer that gives that nice crunch sound when you first bite followed by chewy floopy pizza goodness. And of course Mr. Ray is a character. He gave me free pizza when I was a kid. Decades later he's still at it going strong. His son is so nice too. Hope he carries this business forwards for a long time and expands it! Just don't get rid of the Street Fighter and TMNT arcade games tho. Those are legend among Irvine/Newport lifers like me. And don't change your decor. So many good memories in your shop. read more

Ray's pizza is a great value especially if you are a student attending UC Irvine. Got two slices of pizza and soda for $7 and some change. The pizza was delicious and the staff is personable. read more

Ray's Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Irvine, California

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Ray's is one of my favorite pizza spots and was a go-to in high school. I have such fond memories of stopping by during lunch time and grabbing a slice for like $2 (I'm sure the prices of slices have risen now, but a girl can dream haha). I do feel like Ray's has changed though. I have noticed that the menu has expanded, and the pizza dough feels different texturally. I do like the various options like the BBQ Chicken Pizza and the Hawaiian one, since i feel like that wasn't there before. I ended up getting a half and half pizza with those, as well as another whole pizza as Supreme. I will say that their pizzas are still huge. I scheduled delivery on their website, and it came right on time to my front door in big boxes. So though it's probably worth the price, I also don't think the pizza is as tasty as I remember. The crust feels a bit thicker and stiffer. But nevertheless, the pizzas were all delicious and came with a generous amount of toppings. read more

Ray's Pizza - Half BBQ Chicken, Half Hawaiian - Pizza Near Me - Irvine, California

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the best pizza place in all of irvine. the man at the front is the best person in all of irvine. the pizza is the best pizza in all of irvine. if i could, i would rate Ray's Pizza a 20/10, the best restaurant in all of irvine. i'm so serious, i actually couldn't recommend this restaurant more. read more

The legendary Ray's pizza is not something to joke about. It contains profecies about true quality. First off the service was sweet and very caring. The size of a single slice will surprise you, being ginormeous. The flavor was so good that even though I'm now a new vegan, Im tempted to go back and have just one more slice. The ambience is right on, like an older style rubys vibe with chairs inside and out front. 10/10 recommend you and all your friends to hit up rays pizza right now read more

We love to order a full pizza from Rays. Fresh and hot. I love the crust here, so close to a NY slice. Highly recommend

Seriously, who doesn't like pizza. I always say it is hard to find bad pizza, but you will be surprised sometimes. Ray's pizza was pretty damn good. You always know it's a good pizza when you start eating from the crust, specially while it's hot. I always like a lot of toppings on my pizza, therefore the Combo pizza was my pick. It has basically a little bit of everything, pepperoni, sausage, onions, bell pepper, and instead of mushrooms I got artichoke. Just for a change. Turned out to be a pretty good one. If you are looking for just a few slices, they do slices of pizza as well. There is ample amount of seating area at this center by UCI. A lot of outdoor seating areas with shade specially on a nice sunny day. Definitely worth trying if you are in the area looking for a pizza. I always try to support the mom and pops business first, be that person too. read more

Ray's Pizza - The Combo Pizza with Artichoke. - Pizza Near Me - Irvine, California

We've seen Ray's about a thousand times when visiting the shopping center on our way to dinner there, which is why we'd never tried it before. Our family was even more interested in trying it after seeing Santa talk to Buddy about the different "Ray's Pizza" restaurants in New York in the classic holiday movie "Elf." Finally we made the trek out the the university just to give Ray's a shot. As others have noted, I wouldn't be able to praise their staff for showering me with attention or friendliness. The store was empty and there were two employees behind the counter, and initially neither bothered to address me. In any case, my main interest was the food. The best thing I can recommend is the garlic bread. It was a bit crispy and very garlicky. Yum. However, we also ordered a 3-topping pizza and a pasta with meat sauce. The meat sauce was the most unique, as it had a strong, familiar scent. After a few sniffs we finally recognized it as a cinnamon-like smell. It was interesting and unique, but still a bit more weird than enjoyable. As for the pièce de résistance of the meal, the pizza... it was unfortunately nothing to write home about and nothing I could recommend. It was pretty much just a basic, run-of-the-mill pizza with ordinary crust, sauce, cheese, and toppings. It was also overpriced. I doubt we'll ever visit this establishment again, unless it's by accident. read more

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I've been craving some pizza and wanted to try somewhere new. Another website that shall remain nameless listed Ray's as one of the best pizza spots in OC so I was excited to check it out. We drove the thirty minute drive and got here about 45 minutes before closing. Upon walking in, we received no greeting. Not even a hello. Uhhh, ok I guess. We checked the menu and decided to go with some individual slices. We walked up to the register and now someone looks at us, walks up to the register and says nothing. Nothing. He just stares blankly at us. The phone is ringing but he's waiting at the register to take our order so I start by telling him a pepperoni slice. He says, "We only have cheese slices." and walks away from us without another word. I assume he's going to deal with a phone order or something but most places do that at the register so they can ring it up. No upselling us to a whole pizza, no other suggestions, he just walks away with another word. We were so disappointed with the lack of customer service that we just left. read more

This was a good drop-by-in-a-pinch spot. We were hungry and looking for something quick while en route to a graduation ceremony at UCI. The food was fast, hot, and tasty. The pizza crust was thin and soft with some crisp to it. The Caesar salad was just ok. Would visit again if in the area. read more

Ray's Pizza is one of the best pizza places in the area. Great taste. Affordable price. It's nice how you can order a whole pizza and get half and half--like half pepperoni, half cheese. read more

Best pizza everrrrr! I love Ray, he is a sweetheart and the cheese pizza is YUM! I go there frequently! read more

One of the worst pizzas I ever had. I don't understand how can you mess up a pizza. Fake dough, cheap cheese. Very little toppings. Canned tomatoes sauce. read more

From the best to almost the worst! I ordered their 3-topping pizza twice in the past 30 days. I was deeply disappointed by the quality (not enough red sauce and cheese!). Before this summer I enjoyed theirs very much. What went wrong? Cost cutting measure? read more

Checking local places to eat in search of that one ah-ha meal. Tonight it's Ray's Pizza at the University Center here in Irvine, CA. Any place that features real NY pizza is on my radar. I'm spoiled from my years living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. I lived on NY pizza slices, especially Sicilian. This Ray's has the taste but these two slices and a soda for $8 doesn't come close to New York Pizza and Pasta in Pleasant Hill in the Bay Area. These two slices in this box would normally be 3/4ths of one slice in New York. So I'll give them a 3.75. Good on crust, sauce and cheese. A little weak on toppings and size of slices. Next week, I may have to check out this Indian food place called Adya Fresh Indian Flavors next door. read more

Ray's Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Irvine, California

Just transplanted from NYC. This pizza competes with Manhattan pizza. Highly recommend!!!

10/10 Pizza, could not recommend more Me and my Jewish friend went here and he described it as being back in Israel. Viva Italia!!! read more

This is the best pizza I've ever had - the bottom is SO CRISPY and the toppings are amazing. Beautiful pizzas and the inside is nice and aesthetic as well. Owner has great energy for all his customers. Will be bringing lots of people back! read more

Tasty yes, but "New York style" NOT! Very friendly service, guy at counter was super outgoing and funny. But.... I went in and ordered two large pies because they claimed "New York style" In spite of that gross exaggeration the pizza tasted pretty good and yes I would probably go there again sometime. read more

I love a good college pizza spot, but was disappointed in the quality of Ray's Pizza. The sauce had almost no flavor, and the crust tasted like it was previously frozen. read more

I sometimes forget that there is another pizza place within UTC because Rays is tucked away in the back. I ordered the Ray's Special and loved it! It the prefect portion and price, not to mention it tastes great. The pizza came out fast and was very crispy. Having tried New York pizza before, I would boldly say this place beats it. read more

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Good pizza and good people. Good atmosphere inside the restaurant. Recommend the 2 slice and a drink combo.

Loved it here! Amazing customer service, and delicious food. Will definitely be coming back!

Ray is my pizza connection hook up!! Has been for close to 20 years. No joke. I've seen pizza places come and go. Ray is still here!! Thankfully. He has become a regular institution here at the UCI town center. Delicious, fast service, and always a smile! Ray's is the place for a quick bite day or night! read more

I must be in an alternate universe. The pizza has no taste. Take some tomato sauce and pour it over plastic wrap. That's what I am experiencing right now. The reviews? Must be college stoners at peak munchies level... read more

Love this place! Been coming here for years. This place is always consistently good everytime with great service from the owner Ray and his team read more

Some really great thin crust pizza! We got the NY Italian (mushroom, bell pepper, sausage) and it was great. I would give it 4.5 actually if I could! The garlic bread was okay (can get some better garlic bread at albertsons tbh). Would go back read more

Ray's Pizza - Large NY Italian, Garlic Bread - Pizza Near Me - Irvine, California

I have been coming here for yyrrrsss since college and their pizza is still the best, even after all these yrs (20+ yrs). Since I live farther away, I try to come here as much as I can and I will order 3 large pizzas so I can gorge on it for a few days (w help, of course). My bf and his family enjoy eating it too. To translate literally, they say the pizza is delicious, toasty and light. read more

This is the best pizza in Irvine!! A staple. I've been coming here since I was 9. One recommendation: I know this isn't a sandwich place but the meatball sub can get a bit soggy-- my boyfriend ordered the garlic bread and transferred the meatballs between two pieces. This should be the regular sub it was DELICIOUS. I'll never stop coming here. Ray's Pizza for Lunch! read more

Ray's Pizza - We transferred the meatballs onto the garlic bread and it was life changing - Pizza Near Me - Irvine, California

Authentic NY style pizza in the city of Irvine! Famous Ray's Pizza has found a home in Orange County. One of the Big Apple's most iconic pizza chains is nestled in a popular plaza - University Center - within walking distance of the UCI campus. First of all, I find it amusing to read the reviews of the naive, unqualified and uninformed here (because no one else does and for good reason). (This is both the greatest strength and biggest annoyance about Yelp: everyone has a voice.) There is no "closest to" or "not quite" New York style pizza. This is the real deal! I have been to the Original Ray's on a couple of occasions in New York's Manhattan and can assure you they are one and the same! They use the same recipe, ingredients and preparation. And all you have to do is ask the owner and former longtime New Yorker (he likes to go by Ray as well). He challenges you to find any difference at all. I certainly could not. The crust is perfect: made thin, chewy but with that delicate crunch. There is just enough cheese and sauce. The sparsely sprinkled dry mozzarella cheese molds and blends with the sauce, turns ever so slight brown as it melts, not the thick heavy layering of cheese you get and expect with most pizzas. Most importantly, the sauce is also on point: tangy tomato-ey, subtle sweetness, just the right saltiness and moderately seasoned. Pizza by the slice includes Cheese, Pepperoni (both $2.50), Sausage ($2.65), Hawaiian ($2.65) and Veggie ($2.80). They are generously cut and inexpensive. There are the usual options to pizzas at this pizzeria, including sandwiches hot or cold, pastas and salads. The opinions on those are somewhat mixed. Who cares?! 'This is a pizza parlor, eats a pizza pie ya!' Perhaps the biggest barometer of good pizza: you will be craving it time and again. Simple but perfect is the New York style pizza. Blue-collar thin crust pizza done right. These are not those gourmet, award winning pizzas (they almost belong in another category) or the more common Neapolitan pizzas: thicker crusted, heartier and heavily laden with cheese and toppings. It is, however, the pizza you will crave for the most. Few does it like Ray's and southern California residents are lucky to have a Ray's Pizza in Irvine - the hub of Orange County. Awesome Lunch Special Deal: two pizza slices and a soft drink, $6! read more

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Very convenient. One of the better " New York" style pizza places in the area. As you probably see on Yelp there are many that claim to be NY style. This is closest. read more

New York style pizza doesn't get more authentic than this. I've eaten here a million times and I'm ready to come back a million more. Ray's really captures the looks and vibes of New York inside and gives that old pizza parlor feel. I was skeptical of it at first but so glad I gave it a chance. Amazing place read more

I have read many different reviews about Rays. Today I decided to see what I thought of Rays. I dropped by, ordered two slices for just 2.50 each. The owner, Ray was working behind the counter. He was really friendly and offered a smile. Once he handed me the small box, I looked inside. I thought the slices would be soggy, boy was I wrong. The slices where crispy and flavorful. The texture was great and the pizza was worth eating the carbs. I highly recommend Rays to any hungry sole looking for a good slice, or the entire pie. read more

Ray's Pizza - The box with Ray's pic - Pizza Near Me - Irvine, California